Originally Posted by Vulgano Brother

Not knowing how long you've been playing or how long you usually practice it is hard to give you any sort of an answer other than "yeah, that feels about right."

Long tones are giga-important, as are scales. Lip slurs are an important part of flexibility -- being able to get from one note to another quickly (even when playing slowly). Being able to move quickly is only good if we have a great destination, and long tones help us achieve stability, consistency and a pleasant, expressive sound -- they provide us with a great destination.

Don't forget to add listening to your practice routine -- listen to others live, or recordings, or most importantly, to yourself,so you can recognize what great destinations sound like.

We do all this so we can make music, the story that unfolds as we travel to these different destinations. Become a good musical storyteller, and you'll figure out pretty much by yourself how much of what you need to practice to become more accomplished.

Have fun!